Getting Windows XP installation discs for your Dell

If you bought a Dell computer with Windows XP pre-installed, chances are it didn’t come with a Windows XP installation disc. It didn’t need one, right? XP cam pre-installed.

Well, as Windows has it, if you use your computer, it slows down. Call it a system architecture flaw… whatever. Fact is, you need to re-install XP every year or so in order to get maximum performance. If you don’t care if your computer runs slow.. stop reading.

I have a Dell Windows XP Home computer in my possession right now that needs an overhaul. Since I don’t have a disk, I went to Dell support to ask them for one. Here’s the link they gave me over chat:

Simply fill out the form and you’ll get your disc in the mail. Really, all you need is the service tag number. No word on how long it will take. No clue if my contact information will work. I guess we’ll just have to wait.

My advise to those of you who purchased a computer from Dell and didn’t get the operating system installation disk: Go get them now. Because when your computer needs an overhaul, you won’t want to wait for the disk to ship.

P.S. It’s not too late to migrate to a Mac. Macs don’t slow down over time, and they all come with an installation disc.

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5 thoughts on “Getting Windows XP installation discs for your Dell”

The bummer is that their installation discs come with all their bloatware pre-installed. I have no moral objection to installing a pirated copy of XP because if you bought the computer you already own a license. There’s no reason (legal or otherwise) not to use a pirated copy with your cd-key.

The XP Installation disc is slightly different from an OEM disc. It doesn’t have the bloatware integrated… it doesn’t even have drivers integrated. That is all contained on the drivers and software CDs. The difference is in the activation process and product key insertion. Dell computers have something integrated with the hardware that identifies it as authentic, and it requires a Dell installation disc. When I try to use a XP Professional OEM disc and use a Dell XP Professional key, it doesn’t work. A call to Windows customer service tells me that I have to use a Dell installation disc. If I use a Dell XP Professional disc, which I have, for a Dell with a XP Home license, it blows up. If I want to use the Dell XP Home product key, I have to use a Dell XP Home installation disc. Lame, but that’s the reality.

Ahem, I’d first consider upgrading to a modern operating system like Windows 7, which runs far better on older hardware now than Windows XP and you don’t get the bloat. You can very easily and cheaply get Windows 7 OEM and put it on that Dell computer, and I’d bet you’ll actually get a slight performance increase.

Secondly, it’s not an architecture problem. It’s a known defrag problem. Run a defrag first. 99% of the time what happens is a user has installed programs that set themselves to run in the background. Over a year, this can add up. This isn’t the fault of Windows. It’s the fault of poorly made freeware, shareware, and even corporate software.

I absolutely agree with you on Windows 7 being much more modern and running quicker. I have been impressed and happy with Windows 7 at work. However, when trying to refresh a computer as cheaply as possible, purchasing Windows 7, unfortunately, isn’t an option.

Regarding your secondly, do you have any suggestions on utilities to clean a computer up? I typically will start with turning off background apps from starting at boot, defragging, and then run AdAware and Windows Defender on it, but I’m lost as to the efficacy of other cleanup programs.